Chapter 124: My Relative is Called Lao Lin

Life is full of disappointments, and today was one for Li Dong. He had come to surprise Qin Yuhan, but she wasn't there.

After hanging up the phone, Li Dong's face was filled with melancholy.

Seeing this, Zhou Haidong asked, "Mr. Li, is everything okay?"

Li Dong waved it off, opened the car window, and slowly lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag.

It seemed like his luck had been terrible these past few days. The progress on the Baidu deal had been slow, and now even his plan to visit his girlfriend had fallen through.

Beijing University was indeed impressive—first-year students had to go on a month-long internship out of town during the second semester, and no one had even informed him!

Well, Li Dong knew that wasn't really possible; Beijing University didn't need to consult him about their plans. But did it have to be so perfectly timed that she left today?

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Li Dong smoked his cigarette before finally saying, "Let's head back."

Zhou Haidong, sensing his mood, didn't press any further and gently started the car, driving back to the hotel.

---

Waiting can make one anxious.

For two days, there was no news from either Baishi or Xinhong, which made Li Dong increasingly restless.

If they couldn't find Xu Yong, this trip to Beijing would be a total failure.

Money spent aside, the bigger issue was the wasted time.

With Sun Tao still in the hospital and a mountain of work awaiting Li Dong at Yuanfang, he couldn't afford to waste time in Beijing.

If it weren't for the three-day agreement, Li Dong would have already considered returning to Pingchuan.

On the morning of the third day, the doorbell rang.

Li Dong felt a flicker of hope. Could it be someone from the detective agency?

He signaled to Zhou Haidong to answer the door. When the guest entered, Li Dong realized he had guessed wrong.

It was Hu Yue and Lin Yang, whether by chance or planned, they had come together.

Li Dong had run into Hu Yue and her boss a few times at the hotel over the past few days, but their interactions were limited to polite nods, without any deeper conversation.

Seeing the two of them now, Li Dong stood up and greeted them, "Have a seat. What brings you both here today?"

Lin Yang looked noticeably worn out, with dark circles under his eyes. He sat down rather stiffly and glanced at Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long.

Li Dong caught his look and, after a glance at Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long, the two men understood that Li Dong wanted to speak privately. They left the room without a word.

Once they were gone, Lin Yang couldn't wait to ask, "Li Dong, are you really my classmate?"

Li Dong chuckled and asked back, "Do you think I'm your classmate?"

Lin Yang looked confused. Honestly, he didn't think so. But if Li Dong wasn't his classmate, how would he know him?

If they weren't classmates, why would this guy give him clothes worth tens of thousands of yuan and not say a word when they got damaged? Was it as Hu Yue had suggested—that this Li guy had ulterior motives?

At that thought, Lin Yang felt a chill run down his spine. If that were true, he would have to go pray at a temple when he got back. What a nightmare that would be!

Li Dong, seeing Lin Yang's troubled expression, decided not to tease him further and explained, "Last time, I was just joking with you. I didn't expect you to take it seriously."

"Then how do you know me?" Lin Yang was still puzzled.

Li Dong scratched his head; coming up with a convincing explanation was tricky. But since he knew Lin Yang well, he quickly fabricated another story, "Your family lives in Fenghuangwan in the southern suburbs, right? I have a relative who lives there too. I've visited a few times and seen you around. We even played cards together during New Year's, but I guess you have a bad memory and don't remember."

"Is that so?"

Lin Yang found this explanation flawless, especially since everything Li Dong said was accurate. But something still felt off, though he couldn't quite place it. Since people often gathered to play cards during the New Year, and there were always some strangers, he couldn't be sure if Li Dong had been among them.

After thinking it over, Lin Yang decided it wasn't worth the effort to figure out if it was true or not. After all, knowing someone with money could be beneficial, as long as Li Dong didn't have any inappropriate intentions.

Just as Lin Yang was about to speak, Hu Yue interjected, "Li Dong, what's your relative's name? I live in that area too. Maybe I know them?"

Li Dong glanced at her and replied casually, "I don't know their exact name, but the family calls him Lao Lin."

This made Lin Yang and Hu Yue nearly choke. In Fenghuangwan, there were at least eight hundred households with the surname Lin, and probably a hundred who could be called Lao Lin. That was quite the vague answer!

Alright, there was no point in asking more questions. Whether it was true or not didn't matter; continuing to dig wouldn't lead anywhere useful.

Especially for Hu Yue, who was only involved out of curiosity and had no real stake in the matter. She wouldn't have bothered at all if she hadn't been curious about Li Dong's intentions.

Just as Lin Yang was about to continue, the doorbell rang again.

Li Dong signaled them to wait and went to open the door.

When he saw the two men standing behind Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long, Li Dong knew the detectives had brought news.

However, judging by their distant stance, it seemed like the two men were from different agencies. It was quite the coincidence that they had arrived at the same time.

Inviting them in, Lin Yang and Hu Yue noticed that Li Dong had business to attend to, so they stood up to leave. "Li Dong, since you're busy, we won't stay long. I'll buy you a new jacket to replace the one I ruined."

Li Dong waved it off and said nonchalantly, "I told you, it was an old jacket that I rarely wore. No need to waste money on that."

Seeing Lin Yang still wanting to say something, Li Dong added, "And besides, you already treated me to dinner. Are you expecting me to pay you back?"

With Li Dong putting it that way, Lin Yang couldn't insist any further. Besides, his finances were tight at the moment, so he stopped being polite, made a few more pleasantries, and left with Hu Yue.

Once they were gone, Li Dong invited the two private detectives to sit down.

The two seemed aware of each other's presence and, being competitors, they sat far apart.

After some brief small talk, the representative from Baishi took out a sealed envelope and handed it to Li Dong, explaining, "Mr. Li, the person you're looking for is still in Beijing. While we couldn't find his home address, we did locate his office. But don't worry, he's at the office during business hours, so you can definitely find him there."

The detective from Xinhong, not to be outdone, also handed over an envelope. After a quick glance at his competitor, he smiled at Li Dong and said, "Mr. Li, we at Xinhong delivered as promised. Not only did we find the company address, but we also located his home address, and even noted his usual hangouts. Trust us, choosing Xinhong is the best decision you made!"

The Baishi representative's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Li Dong didn't pay much attention to their rivalry. This was just a one-time deal, and he probably wouldn't interact with them again.

He opened both envelopes and quickly reviewed the contents. Indeed, the information inside was about Xu Yong.

Baishi's information was simpler, including only what was publicly available online and, crucially, the company name and address.

Li Dong hadn't expected that Xu Yong, after leaving Baidu, had quickly started a new business.

Then he glanced at Xinhong's report. Compared to Baishi's, Xinhong's was more thorough.

It included the home address, company address, and Xu Yong's usual hangouts, all marked on a map. They had even recorded his activities from the past two days. Impressive work.

Comparing the two, Li Dong felt somewhat relieved. The company addresses matched, confirming the accuracy.

He didn't bother with their competition. After all, this was a one-time transaction, and he probably wouldn't need their services again.

He nodded to Zhou Haidong, who then took out two prepared envelopes and handed one to each of the detectives.

The two men didn't hesitate, opening the envelopes to count the money inside. After all, with thirty thousand yuan at stake, they couldn't afford any mistakes.

After two or three minutes, the representative from Baishi smiled and said, "Mr. Li, with everything in order, I'll take my leave. If you ever need us again, Baishi will offer you the best prices."

The Xinhong representative quickly followed suit with a similar pitch.

Li Dong nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and sent them on their way.

Once they were gone, Li Dong said, "Haidong, get ready. Let's go see the man we're here for. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can head home!"